Credit: Imago

Richie Mills

Wed 1 April 2026 12:10, UK Updated Wed 1 April 2026 16:42, UK

Mateo Joseph has been an “underwhelming” signing who has not delivered on the promise he threatened to show at Leeds United.

That is according to Spanish football expert Ruairidh Barlow, who exclusively told MOT Leeds News that Joseph’s valuation may have gone down since joining Mallorca on loan this season.

Indeed, a return of two goals and three assists in 28 La Liga appearances for the struggling Spanish side does not make for great reading.

Football Espana editor Barlow states there are mitigating factors, such as being played out on the wing and not clicking with strike partner Vedat Muriqi.

However, Leeds’ plan to increase Joseph’s market value while he is out on loan at Mallorca has seemingly not worked out so far.

Mateo Joseph is not delivering on potential

In La Liga this season, the Spain Under-21 international has played 12 times as a centre-forward and has featured as a right winger on seven occasions, where both of his goals have come from.

Joseph has also been deployed once as a second striker, a left-winger, and a right midfielder with limited success. Via Sofascore, he has a season rating of 6.65, and going by the numbers, it is clear to see why.

While he and Mallorca are struggling, with the Spanish team currently 18th in La Liga, fellow forward Muriqi is flying with 18 goals to his name.

La Liga expert, Barlow, said: “So far, his loan spell has been a little bit underwhelming.

“I think people probably expected a little bit more from him. You can see he’s got talent, pace, and power. I think people were quite excited because they’d seen him play for Spain’s under-21s and be very effective for them and scored a lot of goals.

“I would say his valuation’s probably gone down a little bit from where it was, at least from the Spanish perspective. I think before he moved to Mallorca, he was seen as potentially a great hope as a number nine.

“But part of his problem is that he plays with Vedat Muriqi, and he is the de facto number nine for Mallorca. So, he hasn’t really had a position to play, to be honest. I think people would have expected him to work quite well with Muriqi, but he hasn’t quite found that chemistry.”

Another problem for Joseph is that he wasn’t exactly prolific at Leeds, which made his strop at not being higher up the attacking pecking order last summer all the more confusing.

Barlow added that Joseph has repeatedly been “punted” out to the wing or been deployed in a front two that just hasn’t worked. If Mallorca are to stay up, though, they need to start clicking and fast.

Leeds may rue decision not to sell Joseph

When the January 2025 transfer window slammed shut, reports emerged that Leeds rejected a £10million offer from Real Betis for the young striker’s services.

At that point, he was playing second fiddle to Joel Piroe in the Championship, with the Spaniard’s game time only decreasing after that point.

With the benefit of hindsight, it may have been a mistake not to take that Betis offer more than a year ago. And according to Barlow, there are a number of holes in his game that he needs to work on if he wants to take his game to the next level.

He added, “The main thing he has to improve is to lock down a position and find something that really works for him. It’s quite possible that Mallorca just aren’t really playing to his strengths.

“But I think in Spain, there’s probably a little bit less space than there is in England and in international football, and that doesn’t benefit Joseph’s pace. You can just see him crowded out a little bit too much.

“If he can improve his hold-up play, that would allow him to be more of a number nine. He may need to find a team that plays in a 4-4-2. If a team is defending deeper, then he can play against that more effectively.”

Joseph has been linked with a Leeds to Wrexham switch, and that may be something they have to consider if they stay in the Premier League.